Ducks torch Sharks, but believe they can do better in the new year

The Ducks showed exactly why they have the best record in the NHL heading into 2014. They torched the San Jose Sharks for five goals during an electric 11-minute, 25-second stretch of overpowering offensive dominance Tuesday night at the Honda Center.

But they also had extended moments of uncertainty during their 6-3 victory that underscored their need for improvement in the new calendar year. They were caught flatfooted again and again at the start and only took control after a between-periods chat from coach Bruce Boudreau.

Good enough wasn’t good enough.

“You’re not a good team in this league unless you’re self-aware of things,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “I didn’t play well the last couple of games and as a group we didn’t, either. That’s part of looking in the mirror and talking amongst ourselves and getting ourselves ready to go.

“Bruce has always voiced his opinion on the way things need to be and that’s pushed us to get better. We weren’t happy with our effort. We came out in that first period and relied on our goalie too much and he made some big saves to keep us in it.”

The Ducks (29-8-5) rebounded from a lackluster opening period by turning a shaky 1-0 lead into a 4-2 advantage by the end of the second. They didn’t let up in the least to start the third and led 6-2 only 2:25 into the final period.

Kyle Palmieri gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead in the first period, but San Jose’s Dan Boyle countered only 35 seconds into the second. The score wasn’t tied for long, however.

Francois Beauchemin, Nick Bonino (power play), Matt Beleskey, Getzlaf and Andrew Cogliano (shorthanded) scored to put the Ducks in command. Bonino’s goal ended an 0-for-22 drought with the power play for the Ducks, who were 19 for 131 (14.5 percent) in the season’s first half.

“The power play right now is like a golf game,” Boudreau said. “We’ve finished the front nine and we were horrible. We have a whole bunch of bogeys and triple bogeys, but it’s a fresh slate on the back nine and we can shoot a 35 on the back nine and have a great second half of the power play.”

The Ducks certainly had a sellout crowd of 17,424 in a mood to forget the opening period after playing what might have been their best period of the season in the second. The Ducks outshot the Sharks 25-8, setting a club record for the most shots in a second period.

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Getzlaf’s 20th goal of the season and Cogliano’s 12th while playing in his 500th consecutive game cemented the victory and underscored their remarkable depth. After all, six players scored for the Ducks, who improved their league-best home record to 15-0-2.

“It’s always nice if you look at the standings and you see your team up there, but we got there because we worked hard,” goaltender Jonas Hiller said after his club-record ninth straight victory. “You can’t look at the standings for the rest of the year and just stay there. We have to keep working.”